Working Away w/Brief Thoughts On the Eve of Presidents' Day 2016....

It is the eve of President's Day in the United States.    The team worked on a number of notations which will be available in a while as a tribute to Presidents' should also now be available in the Ordinary Faces Channel.

As I was on my personal "Virtual Walk-About" for the night, I saw a post on Facebook from one of the leading human rights scholars and activists in the World I've had the pleasure to meet, Elahe Amani.  .    I shared this on my Personal Facebook page as these brave souls are in my thoughts and prayers as they take up arms against the subhuman scum that have wrecked so much havoc on Syria and Iraq.  There has been enough scholarship on what led to this cancer.  These brave souls have taken up the ultimate solution--and such stories must be told until the day the cancer of Daesh is eradicated.  What is also ever so critical that the conditions that led to this Cancer must also be addressed:  Lack of Hope, Opportunity and Freedom.      These three conditions continue to be the problem even today as I saw in reporting done over the weekend.    What is troubling to me is how the current aspirants to the Presidency seem not to realize it.


On the Dawn of Presidents' Day, my old and dear Friend Col Bentley was gracious enough to share this image of Mt. Rushmore that is just beautiful as I am gearing up to release it to the Troop 772 website that I have the privilege to curate and edit as the Webmaster as I also have the pleasure to share the original posting at the end of this 

Former Isis Yazidi sex slaves take up arms for revenge, to win back Mosul and 'bring our women home' - An armed brigade...
Posted by Elahe Amani on Sunday, February 14, 2016

On this Valentine's Day 2016....

I thought this simple yet profound statement from the team @ Simple Truths (whose thoughts the team periodically share on the Daily Outsider Twitter Channel) was so appropriate--Happy Valentine's Day 2016!!!

Love Is a Verb

Make Your Relationships Great

Life moves at lightning speed–in the end, it won't be the days that matter most, but the moments spent with those we love. So relax, turn up your speakers and enjoy the video. And don’t forget to share itwith friends and coworkers.

All the Best,

Mac Anderson

On a Late "Virtual Run" w/@DailyOutsider & Other Thoughts

After a personal "daycation", I spent the evening supporting some of the on-going daily initiatives with Daily Outsiders as I worked through the aftermath of Justice Scalia passing away.   Our team released a brief Notation on it earlier.

What was so disturbing to me personally was what I saw from the leading lights of the GOP starting with the US Senate Majority Leader:

The Senate should not confirm a new Supreme Court justice until we have a new president. (2/2)

— Senator Roy Blunt (@RoyBlunt) February 14, 2016

This is as the Daily Signal also noted this:

Sen. Chuck Grassley will do much to turn the tide of that coming conflict while serving as chairman of the Judiciary Committee. And the Iowa Republican has already signaled he won’t move any nominees out of committee.

“It’s been standard practice over the last 80 years to not confirm Supreme Court nominees during a presidential election year,” Grassley wrote in a statement. He continued:

Given the huge divide in the country, and the fact that this president, above all others, has made no bones about his goal to use the courts to circumvent Congress and push through his own agenda, it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court justice.

The traditional but unofficial Thurmond-Leahy rule dictates that the Senate halt all judicial confirmations in the last six months of a president’s time in office.

I made it a point of sending some personal tweets to Senator Blunt and Senator Shelby on it.    What I found so interesting is how Senator Grassley seems to deflect what Congress has done since 2009 to foster the very divide that he now notes.  It will quite an interesting fight to be witness to.     I found it quite interesting the statement by Speaker Ryan though (that I just picked up on my personal email):

F Statement on the Passing of Justice Antonin Scalia WASHINGTON – House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-OH) issued the following statement mourning the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia:   “Justice Scalia did more to advance originalism and judicial restraint than anyone in our time, and it all started with just two words: ‘I dissent.’ The passing of this brilliant jurist is a great loss, but his writings—with their plain language and constitutional moorings—will guide generations to come. A devout Catholic, he was fond of quoting St. Paul, who commanded us to ‘think soberly.’ That Justice Scalia did, always, and our republic is better for it. “I learned so much from this man. I knew him. I respected him. I looked up to him. We all did.Tonight, Janna and I offer our sympathy and prayers to Justice Scalia’s family.”

I truly hope all truly live up to St. Paul's admonition to "think soberly".  It appears from the discourse I have seen so far that this is far from the case.

Truly interesting times....

On This First Day of Valentine's Day Week-End 2016.....

On the eve of this Valentine's Day Week-End, my mind drifted onward to South Africa.   The team finished off on-going weekend curation initatives  Our team was working on what we had deemed "NASSIM" to replace "BRICS" as one of the up-and-comers.    The reason was that at least three of the BRICS--Russia, Brazil & South Africa--have profound difficulties.   I would also note that China has profound challenges on a multitude of fronts as well.  The only one that seems to be holding up is India--although one-third of India continues to be faced with insurgencies and inequality continues to be the order of the dya.  

What I saw in South Africa was especially troubling as the fissures in South Africa Society was evident when Jacob Zuma was in the South African Parliament on his Annual State of the State Address.   The opposition heckled him and the leaders walked out.    It was ever so timely as I saw this on The Nelson Mandela Foundation Website which seems to have been forgotten by the current heirs to Madiba's legacy: 

"Honour belongs to those who never forsake the truth even when things seem dark and grim, who try over and over again,...
Posted by Nelson Mandela Foundation on Friday, February 12, 2016

Will the World Listen on this Valentine Day's Week-End 2016?   

On a "Grammarly" Snapshot: Fun Facts 2 Share......

I ran across this on the tool I use to check myself--and the snapshot was pretty interesting because it helped keep me honest.    I think I wrote more than the Words--but at least the tool was key.   The snapshot was pretty fun to be witness to!!!

Visit My Editor

2015 In Review Your year with Grammarly You've checked 5,942 Words Amount of pages if we printed everything: 24 That's the equivalent to Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish Share with your friends 386 corrections made You were more accurate than 51% of Grammarly users. Share with your friends TOP GRAMMAR MISTAKES 1. Unnecessary ellipsis 70 mistakes 2. Incorrect spacing with punctuation 15 mistakes 3. Incorrect punctuation 12 mistakes You + Grammarly = Wolverine + Jubilee

On the Eve of Valentine's Day W-End....

I am always on the "Prowl" for thoughts and Ideas.    This one was a fun one to reflect upon...

Happy Valentine's Day to All!!!

20 Inspiring Quotes About Love 'Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.' READ MORE

Working Away w/ #EarthArt, #Iran & Other Thoughts

The team has been working away as the Musical Interlude were released.  I personally was not aware of Hozier's work--Hopefully our growing #Outsider Community enjoys the selections that is now available on the four properties.

As I was on my own Virtual Walk-About, I saw two tweets from the Commander of the International Space Station, Scott Kelly that blew me away:

#EarthArt #Iran #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/ftffPO48YF

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 12, 2016

The snowy foothills of #Iran. #YearInSpace pic.twitter.com/YYW3ruMCaW

— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) February 12, 2016

Captain Kelly was right on when he called it "EarthArt!!!   The beauty of our World--if only we earthlings understood the beauty and the fragility of Mother Earth.

It is also President's Day Week-End in the United States as America remembers two very pivotal Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.    For all in the United States, I wish all a fabulous restful @POTUS Weekend.

Working Away w/Notations.....

It was another busy morning throughout #outsiders as Notations were released , the team decided on the Artist of the week and the Daily Cu ration on Twitter continued.   I was frankly surprised a bit as I reviewed Twitter results--but the niche developed (that we use on a daily basis) has a place and I have faith in Jack Dorsey.


For me, it was once again a chance to reflect and remember all that I'm blessed with yet again on a Daily Basis.   It was ever so as I was out on one of my Community Action Initiatives at St. Timothy's Church on Ash Wednesday yesterday and had the pleasure to chat with some of the clients the Pantry is privileged to serve.  It was just beyond words as one of them was so gracious to express her appreciation on the eve of Valentine's Day.   It also reminded me of this from an Orange County icon that was remarkable to be witness to.


Although the team works on "Thoughts of the week" which is now a regular feature in our Education Property here in #Outsiders, I ran across this on my personal daily rounds on Twitter than I thought was quite timely to share with all as this Journey of Service Continues.....

	Phil Gerbyshak (@PhilGerb)
۲۰۱۶/۲/۹،‏ ۲۱:۱۷ "15 Executives Share the Best Advice Their Mentors Ever Gave Them" bit.ly/1TbjXBb #socialleader

On the Prowl: Notations For the Day.....

It was a good day for the Tech World yesterday as our team was on the prowl.   India rejected Free Basics that Facebook Touted as the answer to digitize the masses.   This is also as the challenge to Net Neutrality Rules continue on a massive scale here in the United States.   Although it may not matter as much in the short-term for start-ups like us, it is still a critical move that bodes well for the on-going debate worldwide.  I was especially pleased as I saw the Indian Government backing the determination by the Indian Telecom Regulator.    The Indian Telecom Minister, Ravi Shankkar Prasad underscored that it was a "clear expression of popular will".  

The on-going development has been continuing as well as epitomized by a rapid series of notations we released throughout our properties yesterday.      As I write this, the voting in New Hampshire is continuing and questions are continuing as to whether Kasich can do it or whether Rubio can overcome the questions that is bound to come up.   It was quite a day too around the World as markets continued their route after Oil once again went on a downward spiral.  Recent reports from North Dakota undrescores the plight of the challenges domestically.

Beyond the hype of the US Election Campaign (that the team will release updates tomorrow in the Network) and other on-going issues, there is the on-going challenge in the Arab World and Iran.     Based on reporting reviewed by the team through this morning, Aleppo will fall which will further strengthen Assad---I had predicted 3 years ago during a program I hosted for KU Radio that it would be just a matter of time.   How wrong I was!!!   Just yesterday, 22 migrants again drowned off Turkey in the Aeagan Sea trying to escape the horrors of war    The so-called Peace Conference is just it--so called as underscored by this from the Economist KAL not so long ago:   

Challenging times indeed--and I finished off my morning review, I saw this from the ever perceptive Geoff Colvin especially as voting in New Hampshire continues.    Why would anyone wish to take on the job of President is beyond me.   This is as another fundraising appeal from Bill Clinton came thru just now:  

Daily insights on leaders and leadership By Geoff Colvin

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ANON TIP

February 9, 2016

Running for president must be one of the most stressful activities a person can engage in. I realize that firefighters, hostage negotiators, Navy SEALs, and others go through times of indescribable stress, but they pass. Running for president takes two years, and as far as I can tell, you never get to rest. Now that New Hampshire is voting, the candidates must make hay in South Carolina and Nevada while also preparing for Super Tuesday, just three weeks from today, when 14 states choose convention delegates. Taking a break only damages your chances. It’s the world’s longest, highest-stakes ironman triathlon. That’s why, long ago, the political operatives who worked on the campaigns of John, Robert, and Edward Kennedywould check themselves into a hospital on the day after election day. Our topic today is stress because it’s a centrally important issue for all leaders and it is, like sleep, an issue that big-deal leaders are supposed to laugh at. Sleep? Who needs it? Donald Trump claimed in a debate that he got along fine on three hours a night. Stress? It goes with the territory. Don’t whine about it. But in reality stress hurts you and can kill you, and, like sleep deprivation, it’s an issue that all leaders need to confront. You know that stress can give you a headache, muscle aches, and indigestion, but it also does much worse. Chronic stress, which is the life of many business and political leaders, can cause anxiety and clinical depression and can be a factor in drug abuse and social withdrawal. These are not trivial possibilities; you may recall a rash of suicides among bankers in the last recession and again between August 2013 and February 2014, many of which were linked strongly to extreme stress. An article in today’s WSJ observes that stress is often an overlooked factor in high cholesterol. We have no specific reason to believe that stress played a direct role in the heart attack of United Continental CEO Oscar Munoz in October, a few weeks after he was suddenly given the job, or in the hospitalization of Valeant Pharmaceuticals CEO J. Michael Pearson with pneumonia in December. But both men were in extremely stressful situations, and even if stress didn’t cause their health problems, it can slow recovery from any illness. Munoz has since had a heart transplant, and United Continental says he’ll be back by the end of March. Valeant has named an interim CEO and has not said when Pearson will return to work. The larger point is that leadership is a physical job, though we rarely think of it that way. When Hedley Donovan stepped down as editor-in-chief of Time Inc. (Fortune’s parent) in 1979, he was asked to name the most important trait for the role. He said nothing about intellect or editorial judgment; “stamina” was his answer. Leaders need to accept that stress is a genuine danger and must be addressed like any other. More immediately, the evidence suggests there’s good reason to be concerned about the health of the presidential candidates. Let’s hope that all of them, even the ones you hate, make it.